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The super slow underwater life of coral

Some of the most important living organisms that have some of the most important functions in our biosphere are also some of the slowest growing and moving creatures on the planet. Similar to human beings these plants, fungi, sponges, corals, plankton, and other microorganisms are dynamic and mobile, grow and reproduce, move towards sources of energy and away from predators, however their speeds are hundreds of times slower than ours. In a world where emails and text messages can be sent in an instant, one can fly from New York to London in less than seven hours or can “see” someone (via Skype) halfway around the world in less than a minute it is difficult for our human eye to catch the slow, seemingly minuscule, changes in these organisms.

“’Slow’ marine life is particularly mysterious,” writes Daniel Stoupin, nature cinematographer and photographer, “as colorful, bizarre-looking, and environmentally important as we know corals and sponges are, their simple day-to-day life is hidden.”

Stoupin uses time-lapse cinematography to reveal the hypnotic motion and slow life of the mysterious, underwater creatures. Watch his recent, award winning three minute time lapse film, Slow Life, here.